Manchester United have reportedly seen their £40 million bid for defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka being swiftly knocked back by Crystal Palace.
According to Sky Sports, Manchester United tabled a considerable offer of £40 million to Crystal Palace in their pursuit of bringing Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Old Trafford. But, the London-based club have swiftly rejected United’s offer for the 2018-19 Premier League breakout star.
The report clarifies that Crystal Palace are under no pressure to sell Wan-Bissaka and are looking for a fee of £60 million to part ways with the English full-back, who is being targeted by Manchester United to be the long-term replacement for Antonio Valencia, who was released by the club after years of service.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s rise has caught everyone by surprise. The full-back was not only the first-choice on the right side of the back four at Crystal Palace but actually shined at both ends of the pitch. While he contributed just 3 assists to Palace’s cause, his work-rate has been lauded, something that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking towards while building his team for the upcoming campaign.
Manchester United have had a right-back crisis in the 2018-19 season. Diogo Dalot was too young and inexperienced to slot straight in as the first-choice right-back. But, with Antonio Valencia also regressing too quickly, the fans saw a painful end to the campaign, with Ashley Young racking up the most number of appearances as a right-back for the season while also being labelled not good enough to be a starter.
Thus, getting a right-back in has to be a priority for Solskjaer in the summer transfer window. There was a dilemma between Aaron Wan-Bissaka and the more experienced Thomas Meunier. But, it seems the Board and the manager have decided to go with the former as it aligns with both of their philosophies.
While Solskjaer wants to build a new young core at Manchester United, Ed Woodward has always preferred marketable profiles or names that could be marketable in the long-term. The £40 million bid though, has to be improved if United do intend to land Wan-Bissaka.
Given the current condition of the market and what big clubs end up paying for good full-backs, Wan-Bissaka’s £60 million price tag doesn’t seem as abhorrent, especially considering the fact that there always is a premium when it comes to signing British players.
Signing the Crystal Palace star though, should be a priority for Manchester United. Wan-Bissaka has pace to offer and his ability on the ball makes him a complete modern full-back – the 21-year-old has the skillset of a classic winger along with the tackling ability of a pure defender.
With European football on offer, Wan-Bissaka will be hoping the two clubs thrash out a deal. For now, the ball is in Manchester United’s court, who have to decide whether to meet Crystal Palace’s asking price.
